The full text of the Letter to the Editor of the Armadale Examiner, sent on 04 September 2007, is below.
............................................. I refer to the Letter from D R Grimwood, published in the Examiner on 30 August, referring to the Armadale Mayor flitting off to Canberra to lobby the federal government for more money. If the mayor and the CEO did not divert ratepayers' money from the provision of essential services, to these junkets at the expense of ratepayers, then they would have more difficulty justifying the exorbitant rates that we are charged, "due to the insufficiency of funds", caused by these junkets that are paid from council funds. And, after all, they do have to strengthen their future political careers at ratepayers' expense, like the previous mayor, for whose campaign as a candidate in a state election, council resources were used. No doubt, the costs to the ratepayers, of this particular junket, would be far more than the cost of the removal of the tree on Mornington Street that the council grows to hide the school speed zone sign, or, to get the street lights at the roundabout in front of the RSL clubrooms, working, or, to fix similar hazards to public safety. But then, public safety has been a concept far removed from this city council, especially when holidays are to be had at the expense of ratepayers, using funds that might otherwise be used to improve public safety. But then, as the line in the song states; "I ask, who really cares?". With all of the goings-on in this city council, and, the ever-increasing, excessive rates, for ever-decreasing provision of services, basically, the people are so apathetic, that less than half, vote in the local government elections. And, when, in not too many years' time, the council increases the rates to a minimum of $10,000 a year, while the city becomes increasingly more dangerous through neglect, maybe only another 5% will be interested enough to vote, as the people of Armadale appear to be so rich, as to think that it does not matter how much the council charges in rates, as everyone has money to throw away, or how many more people die in Armadale, in dangerous situations due to neglect, as life is cheap in Armadale. The majority of people in Armadale, appear to simply not care. And, it must be remembered, that, whilst non-profit organisations are required to have their budgets approved at Annual General Meetings of members, no level of government in Australia, is that accountable, or, is really accountable at all, as, it appears that, at each level of government to which we are subject, those in power, appear to believe that "to govern", means "to plunder". One thing that I find interesting, is that I have not yet, this year, seen in any local newspaper in Armadale, a comparison of the "rate in the dollar", charged by the various local governments in WA, showing where the Armadale City Council is ranked.
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